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When the Super Bowl of bass fishing came to Lake Hartwell in 2015, the weather wasn't so super. Fishermen had to contend with temperatures that hovered around 10 degrees on the first launch of competition, leaving fiberglass boats frozen to trailers and competitors struggling to stay warm.

When the 2018 Bassmaster Classic begins Friday at Green Pond Landing and Event Center, conditions should be much more favorable, with a high of 69 expected on the first day of competition. What hasn't changed is the economic boost the event provides to both Anderson and Greenville counties.

“After that (2015) Classic — and not just because of the ice — we said we wanted to get the tournament into early or mid-March,” Akin said. The 2015 tournament was held in mid-February.

Weather was a factor, to be sure, but a business strategy was at play as well. Organizers wanted some distance on the calendar from the Miami International Boat Show and the Daytona 500, two annual February events that could potentially attract the same sponsors.

The 2015 event drew an estimated 100,000 visitors to Greenville and Anderson, and similar numbers are expected this weekend. Those who rented rooms in the region spent $17 million in Greenville alone in 2015, according to VisitGreenvilleSC.

“It all starts with the people in Greenville and Anderson and out at Green Pond (Landing),” Akin said. “This area of South Carolina is a real hotbed of fishing.

“Everyone has been so good to work with. Things have gone so smoothly, and the hospitality in this area is great. They welcome the anglers and sponsors. The food scene here is pretty good, too.”

Greenville hoteliers were 85 percent full for the 2015 event, and VisitGreenvilleSC spokesperson Wanda Pearson said similar numbers are expected this week.

Including the growing Interstate 85 corridor, Greenville and Anderson offer more than 9,000 rooms. The numbers have grown by about 600 rooms since 2015, and two hotels — Best Western Plus and Comfort Suites — sold out for this weekend three weeks in advance.

The Hyatt Regency had sold all of its 280 rooms from Wednesday through the weekend, spokesman Keri Rounsavall said.

Officials and workers of the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic place boat number markers on the dock at the Green Pond Landing, as many get the area set for Friday's opening day of the on Lake Hartwell in Anderson County.(Photo: Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail)

"The demand (for room accommodations) in Greenville has grown, primarily due to events like the Bassmaster Classic and business demand in general," VisitGreenvilleSC spokesperson Michelle Stoudemire said.

Akin compared the Bassmaster Classic to the Super Bowl, The Masters and the Daytona 500 in terms of popularity in its sport.

“This is the pinnacle of the sport,” Akin said. “Everybody who’s in it, this is what they strive to do. If they win it, it changes careers.”

The event begins Friday at the Green Pond Landing and Event Center in Anderson, a $3.1 million facility completed just before the 2015 Classic. Weigh-ins at the end of each round will be held at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, and the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo will again be held in the 250,000-square-foot TD Convention Center.